The Cavaliers considered holding out LeBron James for the second half of a back-to-back, but received enough assurances from James that he felt strong after Thursday’s game in San Antonio to play him again on Friday. …

As much as the Rockets had struggled, even that seemed fitting. They had fallen into their hole by losing games like Wednesday, when their shots would not fall and a young, seemingly overmatched team hung around. …

With the Rockets forced to make a lineup change while on a winning streak with Pat Beverley unavailable, Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff opted for the relative continuity of starting Jason Terry in the backcourt with James Harden. …

Rockets interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was a Timberwolves assistant for three seasons before joining the Rockets staff for the 2011-12 season, but there were few familiar faces around for his first game as a head coach against his former team. …